Powell Bids For Repeat Victory With Mandingo Chief

The new jump season at Wetherby gets underway tomorrow, Wednesday, October 17, with a competitive seven-race card, and trainer Brendan Powell is hoping to land the feature contest, the £10,000 skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase (3.45pm), for the second year running with Mandingo Chief.

The eight-year-old gelding subsequently lost his way after a fall at Sandown in April but after a two-month break, returned to the track with a fine second over hurdles at Uttoxeter on September 23, finishing a length and a quarter behind the progressive Pigeon Island, and connections are hoping for a bold run at Wetherby.

The Lambourn handler said today: 'Mandingo Chief is in good form. He had a wind operation at the end of last season and came back and ran a cracker over hurdles at Uttoxeter, when he was beaten by a nice horse of Nigel Twiston-Davies's.

'He's not really a hurdler but we wanted to see if the operation worked, and it appears to have been a success. It also protects his mark for this race. The owner lives locally to Wetherby and wanted to try and win the skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase for the second successive year.

'We know he likes the track and he enjoys quick ground. Mandingo Chief would not have been completely wound up for his run last time, his first after the operation, so it was a pleasing effort.

'Sam Jones takes off 5lb and gets on really well with the horse. Sam is a good young lad and a lovely rider who is improving all the time. I am hopeful of a good run.'

Mandingo Chief faces nine rivals in the skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase, including Arctic Ghost, who looked a young chaser on the upgrade when scoring at Wetherby in April, and evergreen 12-year-old Scots Grey, a winner over hurdles at Uttoxeter last month.

Wetherby's opening fixture of the 2007/08 season is Spinal Research Charity Day (first race 2.10pm) and will see the first use of the newly realigned course, following redevelopment work necessitated by the widening of the A1 Motorway.

In addition, racegoers at Wetherby on Wednesday, October 17, will be the first to glimpse the new Bramham Hall racing, banqueting and conferencing facility. The £1.4 million construction replaces the previous Bramham Stand public facilities and will be officially opened by David Thorpe, Chairman of the Racecourse Association, at 11.45am.

James Sanderson, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at Wetherby Racecourse, said: 'We are really looking forward to the new jumping season at Wetherby and Spinal Research Charity Day, now in its 17th year, is a fantastic event and a great way to kick off proceedings.

'The going is currently good to firm and should ride well. We are not expecting any rain and there is a really good covering of grass on the track.'